Exchange at Penn, Alumni Long-Lasting Impact

Louise Couceiro still has one major regret from her exchange at Penn: “I wish I would’ve done it for the whole year, and not just one semester.” The now-PhD researcher at the University of Glasgow’s School of Education spent the Fall 2009 semester studying in Philadelphia on exchange from her home institution, King’s College, London. Couceiro was part of the first cohort of students from King’s to arrive at Penn as part of the perennial English-major semester abroad favorite, the Penn English Program in London.

Couceiro’s current PhD research focuses on gender theory within children’s literature, a topic which she initially encountered during a Penn class on gender and sexuality in Virginia Woolf books. “I was absolutely blown away by the lecturers and professors who seemed to engage with students. They put a huge investment in our work and assignments,” she said, “I recall having very in-depth, individual conversations with my professors at Penn. I felt so valued and supported at Penn. I felt intellectually challenged and stimulated.” In 2022, Couceiro will complete her PhD research, which had to be re-designed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In addition to the classroom, Couceiro sought other outlets to learn new skills while on exchange and joined Penn’s Women’s Rugby team. “I saw them at an orientation event, they seemed nice, and I knew I wanted to join a team sport,” she recalled. “Everyone thought I would be amazing because I’m from the UK. I really loved how seriously they took it." Joining the team gave her an opportunity to travel to other universities for different tournaments, and a unique perspective on the life of an American college student. “I loved the whole experience,” she said. “Being surrounded by so many different people from different backgrounds with different opinions who weren’t afraid to voice those opinions was refreshing to me.”

Combined with the new attitudes she encountered at Penn, as well as the critical thinking encouraged by her professors and friends, Couceiro noted she was deeply impacted by her exchange, despite it being only one semester. “My experience taught me things on both an intellectual and personal level. Don’t take anything for granted; don’t take everything at face value. Question everything and have a critical eye to everything – not just in the classroom, but also in life,” Couceiro said, adding that she had one additional regret. “I wish I went to a few more parties rather than spending so much time in the library.”